If it isn't going in my tiny house, I don't want it.

Travel Trailer Renovation Update!

So, the other night, I tore out all the paneling on the ceiling in my camper. Why did I do this?

Well, It turns out that the paneling is pretty thin. Yes. Why do they install thin paneling as ceilings inside these campers? I suppose they aim to keep them as lightweight as possible. Here’s what happens when a little moisture gets trapped between that thin paneling, the ceiling framing, the insulation that is also paper thin, and the exterior aluminum sheathing: You end up with unsightly sagging and soggy ceilings. Not very attractive.

I plan to install some lovely furniture grade, polyurethaned, thin, yet sturdy smooth birch plywood on my ceilings. Yes, it is true that plywood is a little heavier than what was in there. This is another reason I decided to remove most of the built-ins and all the propane appliances, save the furnace–to get rid of about 1,300# of weight from this camper so that when I finish it out with new, better quality, and sturdier materials, I won’t be adding more weight, I’ll just be exchanging old materials for new materials–“one for one” in terms of weight. 🙂 I also plan to install four new leaf springs underneath in the suspension in order to bring the undercarriage up which is also sagging and in order to give the old girl much needed lift and support.

Here we are at the lowest point in this demolition or should I say, here we are at the end of the demolition. Time to rebuild now.

Now that the ceiling is out, I can see that there are actually three bad spots in the ceiling framing: two tiny spots and one hefty rotted spot. So, next step is to repair the bad and then I’m going to get busy installing a new floor and a new ceiling. I have been searching for flooring, waffling on whether to go with wood, square tiles, or sheet vinyl. I determined that wood flooring will add an unnecessary 700# to this camper. So, wood is out. 😦 I will just have to wait for my tiny house build to enjoy wood floors. I have chosen rolled vinyl and I have luckily found some vinyl flooring that looks sort of retro with one of my all time favorite patterns: square tile mosaic.

I have been perusing some paint colors, some green ‘linen-looking’ formica for the kitchen counter, a mural for the kitchen backsplash and bathroom wall, and some possible lighting ideas. I like this birch forest mural. It is bright, cheery, and natural and has some great colors in it that will allow me to add some pops of spring green, orange, and yellow to my built-in seating areas. 🙂 Moving right along. 🙂